If you’ve ever been to a bar, chances are you’ll know the name Angostura. Certainly the bitters with their distinctive label must be one of the well known bottles on a bar.
The rums themselves are perhaps lesser well known, but from the white Reserva with it’s gorgeous white chocolate notes, through to the rich and heavy 1824, these are worth a try – as both Keeley and I did ahead of the cocktail competition, thanks to Revolucion de Cuba’s Rum Club.
Even more luckily (yes I know, jammy beggar), I got to judge at the Manchester heat of their annual cocktail competition – the Global Cocktail Challenge.
The competition is tough – both on the perameters and the competitors. The Manchester heat saw competitors from Birmingham and Cardiff, as well as our local home grown mixologists took part at the Northern Quarter’s Kosmonaut bar.
Cocktails and competitors are judged on composition, aroma, presentation, knowledge and, probably most crucially, time.
In fact it was time that proved the enemy of most competitors. The rules were deceptively simple. Two cocktails, one ‘freestyle’ that could include any form of alcohol. The second a rum cocktail that had to include Angostura rum. Both recipes had to include 5 dashes of Angostura Aromatic Bitters and should be reproducible in any bar in the world. And two of each cocktail had to be completed in 7 minutes – so four cocktails, plus any garnishes should be completed in 7 minutes. Points were deducted for going over time.
Understandably, some went over time.
Creations were varied. From those playing on the herbal notes in the bitters, to those taking elements and emphasising them. Negroni style to Daiquiri. I don’t think my tastebuds have had such a workout in a while!
In the end though, there could be only one to head from this heat, down to London. And it was one of our own, Amir Javaid of Room who is today competing at the London Eye for the opportunity of taking part in the Global Challenge final in Trinidad.
Manchester, I don’t think I need to ask, but wish him luck?